Apparatus for cyanid treatment.



PATENTED MAR. '7, 1905.

' E. L. OLIVER.

APPARATUS FUR GYANID TREATMBNT- APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

wf m? No. 1134,12@ PATENTED MAR. 7, 1905. E. L, OLIVER.

APRATUS FOR GYANID TREATMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNI; 2o, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

niTE STATEs Patented March 7, 1905.

PATENT WCL HALF TO ARTHUR DE WINT FOOTE, OF GRASS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOFI GYINHD TREATMENT,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,120, dated March 7, 1905.

T0 all 1071/0771/ it 11i/(ty concern/.-

Re it known that I, EDWIN LETTs OLIVnn, a citizen ol the United States, residing at Oak land, county oi' Alameda, Stateot' California, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Apparatus for the Oyanid Treatment ot Gold and Silver Bearing Materials; and I do hereby declare the following to be a lull, clear, and exact description ot the same.

My invention relates to the treatment ot' ores, tailings, concentrates, and other materials by thecyanid process to obtain their gold and silver values, and particularly to that form ot' treatment in which the material, with the addition of the cyanid or other solvents, is subjected to agitation in the presence ot' suit able electrodes.

The diiiiculty and expense of separating cyanid solutions from the ore or other material prior to the extraction oi' the gold and silverl from said solutions are well known and are especially marked with slimy ores or material, with which filtration or decantation is particularl y slow and diiiieult. This has led to many attempts to treat the material itself directly, the plates being placed in the agitator; but a serious diiiiculty in this has been the scouring of the plates. In order to get the material in contact with the plates, it has to be agitated, and this, together with the tact oi the use ot' material itself containing sand and other hard particles, has heretofore rendered' such attempts practical failures, because of said scouring.

The object of my invention is to overcome this ditiiculty ot' the scouring ot' the plates by providing an agitation ot' such character that the material will be kept in a continuous gen tle circulation, by which it is carried into ei- 'ective contact with plates without any tendency to scour them.

Another object is to provide a simple and effective means to automatically supply quicksilver to the plates while in use, thereby prolonging the period of their employment be- Jr'ore taking them out to remove the gold and silver deposited upon them.

To these ends my invention consists in the novel arrangement, construction, and combination oil the several parts oii the apparatus, which I shall hereinafter more 'fully describe.

Referring to the accompanyingdrawings, Figure l is a Vertical section oi my apparatus. F ig. 2 is a plan ol same, some ot the electrodes being omitted. Fig. Si is an enlarged top View detail showing the mounting ol the electrodes and their electrical connections. Fig. fl is an enlarged detail showing inveross-sectiomil ele vation the electrode connections. Fig. is an enlarged view showing electrode supports and connections. Fig. (3 isa detail showing the connection for the anode-plates lil.

A is a tank.

I is the disehzu'ge lroln the bottom oi the tank, said discharge being controlled by a gate 7;.

Within the tank, at its bottom, is bolted a casting (il, having openings nl in its sides. This casting receives a pipe l), rising in the tank toits upper portion. Through the open-sided casting d the lower end ol the pipe communi- Cates with the lower portion el the tank. The top of pipe l) is open.

O is an air-pipe leading' `from the compressor. (Ul'niecessaryto show.) The ail-pipe enters through the bottom diseharge ol" the tank and rises into the pipe D.

In the upper part ol1 the tank are suitably supported the electrodes IC and F. These alternate, as usual, the electrodes E being the anodes and made ot' iron plates or other suitable material and the electrodes F being the cathodes and made ot copper plates which are coated with quicksilver, thereby making them amalgamated plates. These electrodes are in great number to give extei'isive surface. They are disposed vertically and close together. Any suitable means may be ennjiloyed to hold them. A simple construction that here shown.

G represents blocks secured to the tankwall. These support wooden stri ps lil', on whiclnrest edgewise the boards I, having spaced grooves or guides in their sides, in which the plates are held, the bottoms ot' the plates resting on the strips ll. The electrical connection with the anode-plates IG is Vtermed by iron bars J on top ot the boards l'M W ith these bars the anode-plates E are connected by the angle-iron brackets e, and said barsr at one end are turned up and are connected with the positive wires j. The electrical connection with the cathode or amalgamated copper plates F is made as follows: Supported upon the iron bars J are insulating-stri ps K of suitable material.l such as rubber. Upon these strips K are supported the open topped troughs L, {ianked by insulating-strips r. .ln the bottom of each trough L is laid a copper bar M, one end of which is upturned and has connected with it the negative wire m. In each trough is a body of Quicksilver, (represented by N.) To each cathode F-is riveted a copper` lug O, having an arm 0 extendingV over the edge ot' the'trough L and immersed in the Quicksilver therein. This construction in addition to forming an effective electrical connection has the further important function of automatically supplying the copper plates with Quicksilver. These plates, as before stated, are coated with Quicksilver; but as the gold and silver are deposited upon them and when it would otherwise be necessary to take them out to remove the deposits they may be allowed to remain longer if they are supplied with fresh Quicksilver. The Quicksilver creeps along the arms 0 and over the lugs O and spreads upon the plates F, thereby supplying` the necessary amalgam to the plates and lengthening the period of their use before they have to be taken out to remove the deposits.

The operation is as follows: The material to be treated and the cyanid or other solvent solutions iill the tank A above the level of the pipe D. Air being turned on through pipe C, the effect is to lighten the column of the mixture in pipe D, whereupon the pressure outside the pipe causes a continuous circulation of the mixture upwardly through pipe D and downwardly between and past the electrodes and to the bottom ot' the tank and into the pipe D again. By the electric current the gold and silver are deposited on the amalgamated copper plates F. This agitation and circulation of the mixture can be regulated i by the air to be as gentle as desired, and though efiicient contact with the plates F is made there is no scouring of said plates.

Having thus described my invention, what i claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl l. An apparatus Vfor the cyanid treatment of gold and silver hearing materials, comprisl ing a tank; an open-topped pipe rising within s and opening directly into the upper portion oi' said tank, the lower end of said pipe having communication with the lower tank; a connection from a source of coml pressed air communicating with the lower end l oi' the pipe; anode and cathode plates within l the tank; and suitable electrical connections to said plates.

2. An apparatus for the cyanid treatment of gold and silver bearing material, comprisportion of the Ysaid tank, the lower end ing a tank; an open-topped pipe rising within and opening directly into the upper portion of said tank, the lower end of said pipe having communication with the lower portion oi' the tank; a connection from a source of compressed air communicating with the lower end of the pipe; electrodes within the tank, the cathode-electrodes being amalgamated plates; and suitable electrical connections to the electrodes.

3. An apparatus Jfor the cyanid treatment of gold and silver bearing materials, comprising a tank; an open-topped pipe rising within and opening directly into the upper portion of of said pipe having communication with the lower portion of the tank; a connection from a source of compressed air communicating with the lower end of the pipe; amalgamated plates in said tank; and means for electrolytically depositing the gold and silver' upon said plates.

it. An apparatus for the cyanid treatment of gold and silver bearing materials, comprising a tank; an open-topped pipe rising within and opening directly into the upper' portion of said tank, the lower end of said pipe having communication with the lower portion of the tank; a connection from a source of compressed air communicating with the lower end of the pipe; anode and cathode plates within the tank; asuitable electrical connection with the anode-plates; and an electrical connection with the cathode-plates comprising troughs with Quicksilver, and metallic arms extending from the cathode-plates into the Quicksilver in the troughs, said arms being unobstructed to the creeping passage of the Quicksilver over them, whereby said plates are amalgamated.

An apparatus i'or the cyanid treatment of gold and silver bearing materials, comprising a tank; an open-topped pipe rising within and opening directly into the upper portion of said tank, the lower end of said pipe having communication with the lower portion of the tank; a connection from a source of compressed air communicating with the lower end of the pipe; electrodes within the tank, the cathode-electrodes being amalgamated plates; a suitable electrical connection with the anodeplates; and an electrical connection with the cathode-plates comprising troughs with Quicksilver, and metallic arms extending from the cathodeplates into the Quicksilver in the troughs, said arms being unobstructed to the creeping passage of the Quicksilver over them, whereby said amalgamated plates are replenished with Quicksilver.

6. In an apparatus for the cyanid treatment of gold and silver bearing materials, and in i combination with amalgamated plates therein, the troughs containing Quicksilver, and the metallic arms from said plates dipped in the Quicksilver, said arms being unobstructed to the creeping passage ot' the Quicksilver over them,

whereby the plates are replenished with quickquicksilvel and the conductors in the quicksilver. silver with which the electrical connection is 7. ln an apparatus for the cyanid treatment made. of gold and silver bearing materials, and in In Witness Whereoi` I have hereunto set my 5 combination with amalgarnated pllates therein, hand.

the troughs containing quicksi ver, the me- 1 ff tallic arms from said plates dipped in the RDW 1N LETH OLlVER' Quicksilver, said arms being unobstructed to Witnesses: the creepingl passage of the Quicksilver over WALTER F. VANE, IO them, whereby the plates are replenished with D. B. RICHARDS. 

